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“Written with eloquence and intrigue, the pages basically turn themselves.”
~ Under the Covers

In book two of the Dark Arts series by Bec McMaster, readers get a story that is sinfully sexy and fast-paced. I’m a big fan of Bec’s writing but this is probably one of her best books. Written with eloquence and intrigue, the pages basically turn themselves.

I was totally enraptured by the dynamics between the hero and the heroine. Their not the best characters in terms of the general public. However, together I think they are amazing. Their banter alone can make me read this entire book all over again. There’s so much tension and sexiness riddled throughout that it has quickly become one of my favorites in the series.

Also, McMaster continues to build this unique world. I love the mix of historical and magical elements. There really is no other series like this. So I found it increasingly genius of the author to come up with this world. I’m going to go out of my comfort zone and go ahead and claim all the heroes in this series. So far they have completely made me fall in love with them and if McMaster continues like this, I will definitely be a happy reader.

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About Bec McMaster

Bec McMaster lives in a small town in country Victoria, Australia, and grew up with her nose in a book. A member of Romance Writers of America, she writes sexy, dark paranormals and steampunk romance. When not reading, writing or poring over travel brochures, she loves spending time with her very own hero or daydreaming about new worlds.

“A great read, full of laughs, a bit of heartbreak and a lot of figure skating.”
~ Under the Covers

There are a few irrefutable truths about Jasmine Santos, one, she loves figure skating and her family, two, she can’t stand Ivan Lukov. And no one can deny that Jasmine has natural talent and she’s willing to put all the hours in to develop it, only when it comes to competitions, she always chokes. So much so, that she has yet to win a single one. Lukov doesn’t seem to have the same problem, his name dominates pairs skating, which just makes him even more insufferable. However, partnering him may be her last chance at winning and she’s willing to make any sacrifice to finally come out on top…even if she has to work with Ivan Lukov.

For those of you who have read Dear Aaron by Mariana Zapata the character of Jasmine Santos will be familiar as she’s the heroine’s younger sister. Now, she has a book of her own where Jasmine is no longer a young figure skater, but is older and approaching the end of her slightly lacklustre career. She needs a win to justify everything she has missed in pursuit of perfecting her figure skating. That’s when Ivan Lukov, big brother of her best friend and her most hated enemy comes in. He’s one of the best figure skaters in the world and he wants her as his partner. Hence the deal with the devil is made.

Zapata veers slightly from her slow burn friends-to-lovers expertise and instead we have a slow burn enemies-to-friends-to-lovers type of scenario. At first when I started reading I couldn’t see how it would work, the animosity between them was thick. However, the more you read the more you realise that perhaps that animosity was fuelled a little by unrequited feelings on both side and suddenly everything becomes a lot more feasible. It was in turns funny and moving to see how their chemistry changed from some barbed remarks to more playful banter and then to outright flirting.

I predict that some people won’t like the prickly and mouthy Jasmine, however, she is my favourite heroine from Zapata so far. I loved her take-no-prisoners attitude and ambition. Jasmine didn’t take shit from anyone and was single minded in attaining her goals with the only opinions she cared about being those from her loved ones, which mainly consisted of her family. Ivan we got to know in slow degrees as Jasmine let her guard down around him and his arrogant self-confidence in his skating suddenly became more attractive as it became balanced by his vulnerabilities in other areas of his life.

Although the story can be explained with the aforementioned “slow burn enemies-to-friends-to-lovers”, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a fantastic read. Not only was Jasmine and Ivan’s connection palpable, even when it seemed they just wanted to kill one another, I also loved seeing Jasmine with her family. They were hilarious and heart-warming and I loved being able to check up on Ruby and Aaron from Dear Aaron – although you don’t need to have read it, each book reads as a standalone.

A great read, full of laughs, a bit of heartbreak and a lot of figure skating. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can’t wait to see what Mariana Zapata will bring out next.

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About Mariana Zapata

Mariana Zapata began writing love stories soon after she learned how to spell. She probably shouldn’t admit that she started sneaking romance novels from her aunt’s bookshelves way before she was old enough to even understand what it meant when a man flipped up a woman’s skirt… don’t tell her mom. Luckily, she stuck to stories about princesses and princes for a while.
In her teens, she wrote boy band fanfiction (there’s still a website up somewhere on the internet with those masterpieces), and in her early twenties, she picked it back up again with Sookie Stackhouse and Twilight. Eventually, her significant other finally told her to do what she wanted to do and she began working on her original work. Her novels tend to include potty humor, bodily functions, and bad words.
Mariana lives in a small town called Pagosa Springs, Colorado with her husband/best friend, Chris Letchford, and their two well-beloved (and emotionally manipulative) Great Dane children, Dorian and Kaiser. When she’s not pretending to write, she’s reading sci-fi, fantasy, steampunk or historical romance novels. You can usually find her harassing her dogs, being a hermit at home or cracking jokes at the expense of her family members.

I’ve come to face a cold hard fact about myself, I’m in the romance not for the feisty heroines, not for the interesting plots, nor for the emotionally highs and lows. Instead it’s all about the heroes. It horrifies and amuses me in equal measure. I view myself as progressive and as a feminist, but when it comes to romance books; it’s all about the guys.

Not that it doesn’t delight me when I read a heroine that I fall in love with. In fact I probably find more delight in a fantastic heroine that I do a hero, but only because it seems to be so much rarer. But, most of the time I can live with a mediocre heroine…a mediocre hero however is a book killer.

But what makes that perfect hero? What makes me start hurling stars at the book? Start swooning like a Regency era heroine seeing her very first hairy leg? What I can tell you it very much ISN’T: Perfection.

Perfection is boring. Those heroes that look perfect, that act perfectly and seem to possess angelic patience and an unreasonable propensity to say the right thing, they do nothing for me. It’s so bland and irritatingly self-satisfied, as he solves all of the poor silly heroines problems for her. Nope, heroes like that do not get locked into my book boyfriend dungeon.

Instead, give me a hero who isn’t the pinnacle of physical perfection. I want someone with some scars a burn or two, maybe a missing eye maybe even a man who is under 6ft tall. But, it doesn’t stop at physical imperfection. I want someone who is capable of making mistakes, who doesn’t always say quite the right thing and isn’t filled with an overabundance of confidence that they are always right…and then they actually are. Where’s the fun in that? I’m not really interested in a caricature of male perfection, it seems unfair to all involved in the same way beauty magazines and Barbie makes women think we should all be blonde with tiny waists and boobs that enter the room long before she does.

Nope, give me the grumpy, gruff, slightly befuddled ones with bad tempers a few questionable habits and ability to learn from their mistakes. That always makes for a much more enjoyable read and a hero that I would gladly lock in my book boyfriend dungeon.

“You can guarantee that this book is going to be a scorcher”
~ Under the Covers

When Carrie goes to Key West for her honeymoon alone, she discovers a part of herself that she didn’t know existed. Bringing her out of her shell is Chris, a man who knows how to give a girl a good time. When he realizes that Carrie was supposed to be here with her husband, he tries to mend her broken heart with a series of steamy nights. What starts off as lust soon blooms into something far more serious, surprising both the characters and me as a reader.

Once again, Alexander has a great blend of BDSM, multiple partners and some girl on girl action. So you can guarantee that this book is going to be a scorcher. I love that each book captures something different with the setting and also has very different personalities in the heroines.

This book is a very quick read, so if you’re in the mood for a pick-me-up, I would highly suggest checking out this series.

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When I first saw this book it really caught my attention. The cover, the blurb, and trying out a new thriller author. And I’ll admit that the cover quote gave me really high expectations as well. So I went into this book excited for something new and … ended up quickly disappointed.

THE UNDERTAKER’S DAUGHTER is somewhat of a mystery at best, I don’t think I could call this a thriller by any means. And even as a mystery it manages to present situations that would otherwise keep me interested in a way that was incredibly boring. That’s the one word I could use to summarize this book. Page after page that dragged and was a chore to read. Everything is just very much everyday stuff and you have to wait until you get a morsel of something interesting somewhere in between.

Aside from that issue I had with the story, there’s the heroine. It was interesting that even with the dull storyline and not much happening I still managed to not like our main character, Ilka. She is not a young and immature woman, she’s a forty year old widow who just found out the father that abandoned her and her mother when she was a kid has died and has to travel to the US from Denmark. I wasn’t prepared for some of her decisions throughout this book. Especially when it came to sex and her own business back home. To me she acted like that immature woman and I honestly couldn’t get to like her.

While this book ends without a resolution to the story, I don’t think I’m interested enough in reading the next one to find out how everything turns out. Maybe if there had been a little more “thrills” and “danger” I could’ve been tempted.

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About Sara Blaedel

Sara Blaedel is the author of the #1 international bestselling series featuring Detective Louise Rick. Her books are published in thirty-three countries. She lives in Copenhagen, and was voted Denmark's most popular novelist for the fourth time in 2014. She is also a recipient of the Golden Laurel, Denmark's most prestigious literary award.

“I am to be with you at all times,” Nina said. “I made that clear when I arrived. Nothing about that has changed. Nothing about that will change as long as I am employed as your protector. I signed a contract. You signed a contract. There really shouldn’t be anything to argue about.”

Donahue had balked at her moving a cot into his bedroom. She’d explained that her role as protector meant she needed to be there even when he slept, perhaps especially at night when he was likely to be more vulnerable to attacks. Yes, even in his own home where he had installed hundreds of thousands of credits’ worth of security systems, one of which now included her. He’d finally allowed the cot, begrudgingly, but now he was hollering about her following him into the bathroom.

Donahue spoke with his hands. Big hands. Strong. Expressive. The habit would’ve been charming on a man she wasn’t already inclined to dislike.

“This is ridiculous!” His hands painted the picture of his dismay in the air. When he turned to face her, he caught her staring at his fingers. He curled them into fists at his sides.

Tension sprouted between them that had nothing to do with his lean body or that handsome face. His aggression was a trigger, putting her body and senses on alert. Ready to fight, defend. Protect. Of course, she was supposed to be protecting him, not fighting him, but fortunately for Ewan Donahue, Nina had not only learned to control her reactions, but there were some triggers she simply could no longer respond to. He could try to push her into anger to get a rise out of her, if that was his thing, but it wasn’t going to work.

It hadn’t always been that way. In the first days of her recovery, she’d broken her knuckles throwing punches. Broken other people worse than that. If Donahue knew how brutal Nina was capable of being, he might not be moving so menacingly close to her, she thought, her expression indifferently bland Her body was ready but controlled. You never knew with men like him. He might get off on the idea of pushing her to the limit.

Nina continued, “What you need to understand is that you’ve had a total of fifty-seven confirmed, serious death threats made in the past three and a half weeks. Previously, you’ve had three actual attempts on your life. Two of your former bodyguards were killed protecting you—”

“Enough.” Donahue flinched, his cheeks flushing the faintest hint of red. A brush of heat came off him, subtle but definite. “Yes. I know. I feel like shit about it, thanks so much for reminding me I’m the reason two good men are dead.”

She bit her tongue for a moment before answering, more gently this time. Leona Smart, the owner of Protect Corps and Nina’s direct supervisor, insisted all of her employees take courses in sensitivity training. Nina had never been very good at it, although she tried. “I understand how hard that must have been, Mr. Donahue. Believe me, I do.”

“How could you possibly?” He stalked from one end of the room to the other, pivoting on a bare heel to stare at her.

She’d read his files and knew he had no martial arts or military training or anything like that. Even so, the man moved like a predator, some kind of big cat, all sleek muscles and rolling gait. She wouldn’t have been surprised to see him snarl. Her heart tried to thump a little faster at what it would be like if he did, indeed, come at her physically. He couldn’t beat her, but he might be an interesting challenge.

“I was a soldier,” Nina replied simply. “I saw lots of good people die, and sometimes, it was my fault.”

Donahue went quiet at that. Contemplative. His lightweight pajama bottoms hung low on lean hips, and his sculpted abs flexed when he paced. Donahue had the body of a man who spent a lot of time making sure he looked good. With a small, internal sneer, Nina imagined her own scars on flesh covering muscles, sinews, nerves, and bones she’d worked hard to make strong even before her enhancements. She didn’t have to be pretty. She had to be fierce.

“I’m sorry,” he said after a moment, surprising her. “I know you were. And I respect the work you did—”

“Good. Many don’t.”

She’d been spit on more than a few times. Catcalled. The Second Cold War had been a lot hotter than the first one, and it had not seen a lot of civilian support. In school she’d learned about the Vietnam War, how the returning soldiers had been castigated and reviled. History did have its way of repeating.

That she could not actually remember most of her time in the army was not something she intended to point out to him. Donahue was already a vocal and public opponent to the enhancement procedures she’d endured to save her life and which had made her the woman she was today. The same woman who could, and would, subdue him in order to save his stubborn, arrogant life a dozen times over, if she had to. She folded her arms across her chest and widened her stance. If he tried to push past her, she would not hesitate to put him down, panther muscles or not. At this point, putting Ewan Donahue in his place would be a pleasure that had nothing to do with how good he looked without his shirt.

He crossed his arms over his naked chest, drawing her attention to the bulging, shifting, and straining muscles of his pecs and biceps. Was he . . . flexing?

Nina was neither impressed nor intimidated by this show, although she had no trouble admiring it. “I thought you had to use the facilities.”

“Look,” he said, his tone conciliatory now. A negotiator. Lobbyist, convincer. “There’s such a thing as personal privacy.”

Nina wasn’t convinced. “I’m fully aware of that, and of course I’m entirely capable of selective sight, which allows me to pixelate whatever it is I’m not supposed to be seeing. It’s pretty convenient.”

“Oh. Right. Selective sight.” Donahue’s lip curled.

“And hearing,” she added with a small smile, even though watching his disgusted reaction stung her in a place she could never seem to shield, no matter how often she was wounded there. It should only matter that he believed she could do the job he’d hired her for, not whatever else he thought about her as a person, but that subtle, invasive sense that Donahue didn’t think of her as a full, real person dug deep.

“In case there’s stuff I’m not supposed to hear. I mean, it’s all recorded in case someone later needs to access it. But I won’t have access to it.” She added that last bit as a dig of her own, to remind him of not only who, exactly, she was, but also what. She wanted to rub it in his face. Her enhancements, what she could do in the pursuit of his safety. She wanted him to hear it and know and . . . well, to see it. To see her.

“Yeah, well, I’m not capable of either of those things,” Donahue said. “If you don’t leave my side even for a second or so, what about when you have to use the facilities?”

Her smile didn’t falter. “I’m sure you’ve read all the materials about the enhancement procedures, Mr. Donahue. So then you know that I’m also capable of maintaining amazing control of all my bodily functions.”

The man actually blushed this time. A rising flush crept up his chest and throat to tinge his cheeks, and she was able to register the slight rise in his body heat. It was surprising, that reaction, but it made him seem no less a predator than he’d appeared before. “I’m aware of the procedures and results, yeah.”

“Then you know I can hold it for a long time,” Nina said smoothly. “But seriously, I’m sure you’re about to burst. So if you’d rather continue to argue with me until you lose control . . .”

“I don’t,” Donahue snapped, “ever. Lose. Control.”

Another of her serene smiles pushed more crimson heat into his cheeks. Nina stepped aside from the bathroom door with a flourish and a small, deliberately obnoxious bow. “Good. Neither do I.”

A female bodyguard with enhanced abilities. A billionaire playboy committed to destroying people like her. A romance they didn’t expect…

Dive into the first book in this fantastic new series set in the near future from New York Times bestselling author Megan Hart!

Nina Bronson used to be all human -- until the experimental surgeries and internal technology that saved her life and enhanced her as a soldier also forced her to leave the army for private service. Now she and her peers are facing slow, painful deaths unless their technology is upgraded, and the one man keeping those upgrades illegal and unavailable is an obnoxious billionaire. A man too gorgeous for his own good.

A man she’s supposed to guard with her life.

Ewan Donahue is the public voice speaking out against the enhancement procedures of injured soldiers. But when his lobbying leads to death threats, he needs someone to protect him around the clock. He doesn’t want to rely on an enhanced soldier—Nina’s tech goes against everything he stands for. But he really doesn’t want her to be beautiful like she is. Doesn’t want her to suffer like she will.

Doesn’t want to succumb to the searing desire he feels for her.

As a series of attacks on his life send them to a remote cabin, their close proximity brings them together in ways they never imagined. They know they must prevent the need simmering between them, resist each other at all costs. But when tensions are high and danger is close, passion burns hottest of all…

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About Megan Hart

Megan Hart has written in almost every genre of romantic fiction, including historical, contemporary, romantic suspense, romantic comedy, futuristic, fantasy and perhaps most notably, erotic. She also writes non-erotic fantasy and science fiction, as well as continuing to occasionally dabble in horror.

I am quickly becoming a fan of this series and I’ll tell you why. Yeah, it’s written by Megan Hart and she’s an awesome writer. But this is all about the kick ass heroine of this series, Nina Bronson. I really like how her character is being developed, how she handles the things that are thrown at her. I just LIKE her!

I don’t want to spoil the first book if you haven’t read it but this is a continuation from that. Ewan had lied and it resulted in a betrayal that pushed the fledgling relationship he had developed with Nina back to zero. But now he’s hired her again and their working relationship is much different this time around. Plus he’s really trying to win her heart again and show her that he is the man for her.

While this could’ve been a bit flat, the world was expanded a bit in this and more conspiracies are unveiled. The situations that our characters are facing in this book were interesting and kept me on my toes. For both the immediate result and to figure out the bigger picture and what is yet to come.

But one thing is for certain. I think Ewan and Nina as a couple have great chemistry, I love seeing them together. There’s an easy banter while at the same time some simmering sexual tension. And the added bonus is that I think they also make the perfect team. They each have the missing pieces of the other.

I was not expecting the curve ball that is thrown at us at the end of this book and it’s certainly left me excited to read the last installment (or at least I think it will be). I haven’t decided if I think this will make things easier or harder for these two but I can’t wait to see how they’re going to deal with them.

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About Megan Hart

Megan Hart has written in almost every genre of romantic fiction, including historical, contemporary, romantic suspense, romantic comedy, futuristic, fantasy and perhaps most notably, erotic. She also writes non-erotic fantasy and science fiction, as well as continuing to occasionally dabble in horror.

“Alexander moves this book at a very fast clip and I think if you have any kind of reservations, then it’s better to abort because there are some pretty steamy scenes in this book that might take you by surprise.”
~ Under the Covers

The second book in the Hot in the City series by Lacey Alexander gets even hotter! I love this series because it reminds me so much of the classic Erotic Romance. Obviously since it’s an older release, there are some aspects of this book that are quite dated, but that didn’t bother me in the least. Alexander moves this book at a very fast clip and I think if you have any kind of reservations, then it’s better to abort because there are some pretty steamy scenes in this book that might take you by surprise.

This book is a little different because it is set in Las Vegas and has a bit of a business theme to it. When Diana has some work to do, her wild ways bubble up to the surface again when she meets Marc. He brings out the wildcat in her, encouraging her in ways that take her to the limit. This book has a lot of sexual exploration featuring everything from ménage a trois, BDSM, and even some girl on girl action. So there’s really a great mix here for heightened impact.

Although I didn’t like this book as much as the first, I do think it’s a great read and I definitely read this book too quickly. Luckily for me, there are more books in the series!

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Millennia ago, the gods grew bored. So Isis, the goddess of magic and wisdom, devised entertainment: a contest to the death for select mortals. She invited gods of other realms to each choose a representative from their most prestigious house, a mortal under the age of twenty five who would carry the god’s emblem into battle.

These players would fight inside Tar Ro (ancient Egyptian for royal road), a sacred realm as large as a thousand kingdoms. Isis plagued Tar Ro with disasters to honor various gods and to fuel conflicts between the players.

With each kill, a player would harvest a god’s emblem from an opponent, which would then appear on his or her own hand; only the player who collected all the others’ emblems would leave Tar Ro alive – as an immortal victor.

Naturally, the deities cheated, gifting his or her representative with superhuman abilities. Secret abilities. Thus the players became known as Arcana.

This vicious Tar Ro game proved so popular with the gods that they decided to host it every few centuries in different lands across the mortal plane until the end of time.

Deprived of their lifeblood – worshippers’ prayers – these old deities are thought to have moved on to other worlds, but their legacies live on. On the eve of a new game, each god’s magic seeks out a descendant from his or her House of Arcana.

Players are transformed; a new game is dealt. The earth suffers in their wake.

The object of the game: trump every other card by any means necessary, slaying opponents to collect their emblems, now known as icons. In the end, the winner “holding all the cards” will be made immortal until all the others reincarnate to play again.

THE FLASH

The Sun flame broiled the earth, flash evaporating all bodies of water and turning every living thing that had not taken shelter to ash. This also caused wooden buildings (or any flammable buildings) to catch on fire. It created a disease which zombifies people, making them into creatures called Baggers.

If you are looking for the next Hunger Games or Divergent but even more addicting and action packed, then you have to try the Arcana Chronicles. It has Kresley Cole’s signature writing style, fun characters bursting with personality, and the wild imagination of a world you’ll want to know all the secrets about, but maybe never visit.

This series is such a unique concept and a really entertaining one. It’s packed with betrayals, secrets and lies in a fight for survival and to stop the game. And it also features one of the ultimate love triangles in my opinion! Check it out and you may just find your next book boyfriend (or two)! But fair warning, don’t get too attached to any of these characters. It’s a battle to the death after all.

Tableau: A young man wearing a red robe, holds a wand skyward while pointing to the ground with his free hand. On a table before him lies a pentagram, a chalice, a sword, and a cane. A bed of roses and lilies grow at his feet, vines trailing above. Like Strength, the Magician card have an infinity symbol.

Special Skills: Spells and hexes. One spell enables her to remember past games.

Call: “Terror from the abyss!”

Icon: Trident.

Weapons: Water, trident.

Circe is described as having luminous fawn colored eyes, and ebony skin with long black brained hair.

Tableau: A priestess – with water for hair and tentacles for legs – looms over a sacrificial victim at a bloody altar.

Unique Arcana Characteristics: She has iridescent blue scales on her arms, with a small fin at each elbow.

Before Flash: A grad student from Bermuda, attending the University of Miami. Her focus: Atlantean mythology and the Bermuda triangle. Engaged to a computer programmer and instructor there. Member of campus Wiccans.

Fantasy Cast: Camila Mendes

Evangeline Green, known as Evie, also known as Poison Princess, Lady Lotus, Phyta, the May Queen, The Queen of Thorns, Mistress of Flora. Sieva (to Death) and peekon (to Jack)

Age: 16-18

Powers: Can create, shape, and control plants and trees. Can deliver poisons through her claws and lips, and spores from her hair and hands. Chlorokinetic scrying (can perceive through plants). Regeneration.

Special Skills: Mesmerizing.

Call: “Come, touch … but you’ll pay a price.”

Icon: White rose.

Weapons: Plants, trees, poisonous spores, thorn tornados.

Love Interest(s): Brandon Radcliffe, Jack Deveaux, Aric Dominja

Petite with a slim figure, beautiful with blonde hair and blue eyes

Tableau: A woman sitting upon a throne with her arms open wide, wearing a poppy-red gown and a crown with twelve stars; her hair is strewn with poppies, vines, and strands of red. White roses surround her throne, and the rolling hills behind her are awash in green and red – from both crops and blood.

Unique Arcana Characteristics: Hair turns red, and fingernails morph into thorn claws. Glyphs on her skin glow from green to gold, each one representing a weapon in her arsenal.

Before Flash: A cheerleader at Sterling High in Louisiana. The night before Day 0, her sixteenth birthday arty was broken up by the sheriff’s department.

Fantasy Cast: Teresa Palmer

Richter also known as the Stone Overlord, The Emperor, Jersey Number Four